


Seasons Change But People Don't

by amelespotamos



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: Let's see how this goes, Most Of the relationships are platonic, Multi, and subject to change, but relevant to the story, should i warn for language?, surprise cameo even i didn't expect, there's not much of it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2018-09-02 06:36:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8654599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amelespotamos/pseuds/amelespotamos
Summary: The saying goes: old habits die hard. Sungyeol really wished that wasn't true.





	1. The Start

**Author's Note:**

> So this is something I started a couple years ago when I first got into fanfiction. It's loosely based on this post I saw on Tumblr; I think it was called Infinite Mafia. They're not actually in the Mafia, though, more like a gang. I started this way before they did Back, so they're not as bad-ass.
> 
> So far I've only finished the first chapter, but the second and third are almost done. I made the mistake of writing this in past-tense when I started it, so please excuse me if the tense switches randomly. This is actually the second draft of the first chapter. I kind of like the first version better, but I think this version fits better with the story. Maybe. Hopefully this (vague) chapter is interesting enough to make you want to read the next one. (It gets more interesting, I swear.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The saying goes: old habits die hard. Sungyeol really wished that wasn't true.

"What did I miss?" Woohyun took in the sight in front of him. Dongwoo, cursing and thrashing about, was being restrained by Myungsoo and Hoya. On the other side of the empty dancefloor, Sunggyu and Sungjong were crouched beside a barely conscious body. Logically, Woohyun chose to approach the calmer side of the room. He repeated his question to Sunggyu and Sungjong once he reached them.  


Sunggyu glanced at him. "Just Dongwoo beating the crap out of this idiot."  


Woohyun tilted his head to the side as he surveyed the man on the floor. Under all the blood and bruises his face did look a bit familiar. "Are we assuming he deserved it?" Judging by the struggle on the other side of the room, he didn't think that was the case.  


"I think he was just following orders," Sungjong answered.  


"But he probably still deserved it," Sunggyu added. He smacked the guy's face a couple times, but got no response. Heaving a sigh, he stood up to stretch his legs. "Can you go try to talk some sense into him?" He lifted his chin in Dongwoo's direction.  


"Isn't that more your area of expertise?" At Sunggyu's deathly glare, Woohyun held his hands up in surrender. "I didn't say I wouldn't," he argued as he backed away. He had been serious, though. Sunggyu was the one who knew how to connect with Dongwoo. Although Hoya knew Dongwoo the longest and was technically closer to him, Sunggyu was the one they (mostly teasingly) called the Dongwoo Whisperer. He knew how to reach the other when no one else could. All he had to do was speak softly in Dongwoo's ear to get him to calm down.  


Woohyun didn't see how he was supposed to reason with Dongwoo. But with Sunggyu's attention on the poor sap on the floor, he had to give it a shot. With a short nod to signal Myungsoo and Hoya to let Dongwoo go, Woohyun stepped closer to the shorter man until they were face-to-face.  


"Move," Dongwoo spat.  


"No." Woohyun returned the other's hard stare as he took another step closer. "Not until you calm down."  


"I am calm." The way he bit out the words belied the truth.  


Woohyun scoffed. "So why were you so calmly trying to rearrange that guy's face," he asks sarcastically.  


"He's a thief."  


"That's not usually how we handle thieves." They weren't thugs. They didn't go around beating up on people whether they deserved it or not. And considering they were technically thieves themselves, it would be hypocritical of them to punish someone for doing the same thing. "How do you know it was him and not Jungyeob who stole from you?" The man on the floor was a lackey for the second biggest crime boss in the city. There was no way he would have the nerve to go after Dongwoo. But his boss, Lee Jungyeob, had no qualms about getting on anyone's bad side. And with good reason; he didn't get to where he was by being considerate.  


"That's what I was trying to figure out," Dongwoo replied with a touch of irritation, "until you guys interrupted me."  


"What did he take anyway?" The question came from Hoya. His face had become grave at the mention of Jungyeob. They all knew the lengths the man would go to; the things he could do (or have others do for him). "He didn't..." Hoya's eyes narrowed as he wondered to himself. Dongwoo stayed quiet, his face not giving away anything. That seemed to tell Hoya everything he wanted to know. His gaze hardened as realization set in. "That bastard," he seethed. He looked as murderous as Dongwoo had moments before.  


Woohyun glanced at Myungsoo who shrugged, equally as lost. "So what did he take?" His answer came in the form of a smack to the back of his head. Rubbing the sore spot, he cursed under his breath and turned to glare at Sunggyu.  


"Don't ask stupid questions," the older man chided. He promptly ignored whatever smart-ass response Woohyun was readying to focus on Dongwoo. His hands smoothed down the shorter man's arms. "We'll get it back," Sunggyu assured him. But more than reassurance, it was a promise. The five of them would do all that they could to retrieve the stolen item and get Dongwoo his own revenge.


	2. The Favor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not often I can update a story so quickly, but this time it's only because the chapter was pretty much finished already. The next chapter will probably take me a bit longer to finish. I forgot to mention that Sungyeol wouldn't be in the first chapter. He's in this one, though, and you get some answers. But not that many. Enjoy~

The door was open for less than five seconds before it was slammed shut right in Woohyun's face. He didn't get a chance to be surprised as the door was opened again and a long arm reached out and snatched the bag of Chinese food he was holding. He sputtered for a moment, at a loss for words, before his anger finally kicked in.

"What the hell," he yelled as he banged a fist on the door. Admittedly, Woohyun probably deserved that. It was his fault, after all, that their friendship ended the way it did. But he still felt offended. Shouldn't he be allowed to explain himself?

His fist was raised, ready to hit the door again, when it opened. He let his arm drop back down to his side and tried to put a neutral look on his face despite the disinterested one on the other guy's.

"What do you want?"

Woohyun wasn't expecting a hug or even a smile, but the other's cold tone still stung. "I need your help, Sungyeol," he said without any preamble. Whatever differences they had would have to wait.

He was prepared the next time Sungyeol went to slam the door in his face, wedging a foot between it. He slipped inside the apartment behind Sungyeol, who had assumed Woohyun would still be on the other side of the door.

"Just hear me out," Woohyun started once he closed the door behind him.

Sungyeol whirled around, the surprise on his face quickly turned to anger. "What the f—"

"Think of it as doing me a favor," Woohyun continued. He stepped further into the room, but kept his distance from the taller man. He wasn't hoping for a repeat of their last meeting. His jaw had been bruised for a week.

Sungyeol gave him an unimpressed look. "I don't owe you shit and I sure as hell don't want any favors from you, so you might as well leave right now."

This wasn't going at all like Woohyun had hoped. But it would be very unlike him if he gave up so quickly. Instead of heeding the other's somewhat polite warning, he strolled even further into the apartment and made himself comfortable on Sungyeol's couch. "Is that any way to treat an old friend," he asked as he pat the seat next to him.

Sungyeol denied the invitation with a curl of his lip. "You mean _ex_ -friend."

"Same difference," Woohyun shrugged carelessly. He looked around the modest one-bedroom apartment, noting the lack of a personal touch. Everything was clean and organized for the most part. Yet there weren't any pictures of his friends or family or evidence of secret hobbies or guilty pleasures. Almost like it was his place, but he wasn't actually living in it. Woohyun chose not to comment on his observations. He was trying to get Sungyeol to trust him (or at least agree to help), he should be as ingratiating as possible. Or as much as was possible for him.

"So I know it's been a couple years and there's still a bit of bad blood between us—" Woohyun ignored Sungyeol's scoff at the understatement "—but I was hoping we could put it all behind us and start over." He tried to put as much confidence in his voice as he could. He didn't think it was possible, but his old friend actually managed to make him nervous. (Although, Woohyun would argue that the deathly glare the other hadn't stopped giving him would make anyone wary.) The guy in front of him wasn't the same mischievous, overly curious, and somewhat simple boy he had grown close to during school. This Sungyeol was serious and angry and Woohyun couldn't help wondering when the last time he smiled was.

He was willing to admit that the other was probably this way because of him. His childish mistakes and poor decision-making had eventually caught up with him and affected more than just himself. He never apologized to Sungyeol for the trouble he'd caused, mainly because he didn't think he was in the wrong. Now that he had grown up and was willing to see the situation from Sungyeol's point-of-view, he was ready to admit his faults.

"Why would I want to do something like that?" Sungyeol stood across the coffee table from him with his arms crossed and looking slightly less angry. Woohyun took that as a good sign.

"I'm sorry," he said. He hoped Sungyeol could see that he really meant it. "I should've said it earlier and it probably doesn't mean much to you now, but I really am." He waited for Sungyeol's response, expecting disbelief and for the other to tell him to get out again. But the taller man didn't say anything. He just continued to look at Woohyun; his eyes gave away nothing of what he was thinking. As the silence stretched between them Woohyun started to feel antsy. He wasn't sure if he should say something or take the other's silence to mean he had no interest in accepting the apology. Just when he began contemplating giving up, Sungyeol heaved a sigh. It sounded resigned, but it came out short and sharp as if he was angry.

"What do you want?"

It took Woohyun a second to process that Sungyeol wasn't kicking him out. That he was actually going to hear him out. "So you forgive me?" Woohyun was sure he looked as baffled as he felt.

Sungyeol rolled his eyes and walked over to the couch, dropping himself onto the other end. "What do you want," he asked again.

Woohyun noted his avoidance of the question as well as the change in his tone. It had lost its hostility, but he didn't know what to call it now. He tried his best to hide the victorious smile threatening to break out on his face. Of course, he didn't actually think he was going to fail. "Okay," Woohyun said as he settled himself more comfortably on the couch. He ignored the judging look Sungyeol leveled at him. "So, I have this friend. Great guy; I’ll introduce you to him soon. But anyway, this friend of mine, someone stole from him recently. They took something really important. And I promised him—well, my other friends and I—there’s six of us—we all promised him that we’d get it back for him no matter what. But the thing is, we need someone who can drive, like, really drive."

"And you couldn't think of anyone else to ask?"

"You were the first person I thought of." When they were friends Sungyeol had always sought out Woohyun's approval. He'd looked up to Woohyun (for reasons Woohyun still doesn't know and probably wouldn't understand) and always wanted to know that their friendship meant as much to Woohyun as it did to him. It was a long shot now, and probably a bit of a low blow, but Woohyun still hoped the subtle attempt at flattery would work.

“You do remember that my father’s a prosecutor, don’t you?”

Woohyun nodded confidently. “That’s not going to stop me.”

“Sure as hell didn’t stop you before,” Sungyeol mumbled.

 _I deserved that_ , Woohyun thought to himself. “I can’t promise things won’t go south,” he admitted. In his line of work, he had learned not to put too much stock in having things go according to plan. “But we know what we’re doing, if that counts for anything. And we know how to avoid trouble.” By the scoff Sungyeol let out at the statement, Woohyun expected another dig about their rocky history. It was going to take more than some food and flattering words to get back on Sungyeol's good side. If he still had one.

"After everything that's happened, what makes you think I'd trust anything that comes out of your mouth?"

"The fact that I'm sitting here," Woohyun countered. There was more confidence in his voice than he really felt. For all he knew, Sungyeol could very well have been humoring him just to get the satisfaction of turning him down or, worse, turning Woohyun in to his father. He'd never met Sungyeol's father and he wanted to keep it that way. “You could’ve kicked me out a long time ago. Obviously, you don’t hate me as much as you want me to think.”

"I don't think I can hate you any more than I do right now." Woohyun would've thought Sungyeol was just saying it to get under his skin, but his face was completely serious. A long silence stretched between them as Sungyeol's eyes bored holes into Woohyun. "I have no interest in helping you steal anything—"

"Steal back," Woohyun interjected.

Sungyeol narrowed his eyes at him before continuing. "Anyway, I don't want to help you, so this was a complete waste of time." He stood and picked up the forgotten bag of food. His face softened just the slightest bit as he held the bag in front of Woohyun's face. "You should ask someone else."

All the hope and confidence Woohyun had felt moments before was now dried up. Sunggyu and Hoya had predicted Woohyun's failure. Knowing his and Sungyeol’s history, they were doubtful that Sungyeol would be willing to join them. And a part of Woohyun knew they were right. No one would want to help someone who had betrayed them. But Woohyun's gut told him there was still a chance. He still had a reason to believe that Sungyeol would say yes.

Despite being older, Woohyun still wound up having to crane his neck to meet the other man's eye when he stood up. Rather than allowing him to catch up, time had given Sungyeol even more height instead. Woohyun didn't see how that was fair at all. "Why didn't you turn me in," he asked. The question had been on his mind since that night, but he never got the chance to voice it.

Sungyeol's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to understand. "What are you talking about?"

"You took all the blame," Woohyun answered. "It wasn't even your idea, but you didn't give anyone else up. I didn't go home for a week because I thought the police would already be there waiting for me if I did. And then I heard that you got caught and you said you were alone. You could've told the truth and you probably wouldn't even have been charged for anything thanks to your father. I don't get why you didn't. Why didn't you turn me in," he asked again.

The moment Sungyeol looked away from him Woohyun was sure he'd succeeded. "It doesn't matter," Sungyeol dismissed the question. It was too late, though. The other's reaction had told Woohyun everything he needed to know. The smile that stretched across his face didn't budge even the slightest despite the brusque way Sungyeol pushed the bag of food into his arms and steered him toward the front door.

Barring Sungyeol from opening the door (and subsequently shoving him out of it), Woohyun reached into his back pocket to pull out a business card. "Call me when you change your mind," he said.

“I won’t.” Having regained his composure, the stoic look was back on Sungyeol’s face.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Woohyun stepped aside to open the door himself. "It means just that. Tomorrow. Noon. Don't be late." The door swung shut on Sungyeol's confused expression.


	3. The Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas! (It's only 10:30-ish here, so I can still say it.) Here's my present. I didn't mean to take the whole month to write this, but I ended up rewriting pretty much the whole chapter and it turned out super long. 6k words long. (I was cursing in my head the whole time I was writing the second part and saw the word count go up by the hundreds.) So in this chapter, Sungyeol is properly introduced and all seven of them meet. You get to know his backstory and hopefully understand a bit more of his relationship with Woohyun. (I say "relationship" and sort of imply that there could be/might have been more to their friendship, but there's definitely nothing romantic between them.) Speaking of relationships, I have such a weakness for 2woogyu, I can never pass up an opportunity to include them anyway I can. Also, Hoya's a bit of a jerk in the beginning, but he gets better by the end. And lastly, I just want to give a heads up that there'll probably be another month-long wait for the next chapter. I have some prompts for Vignettes that I feel like writing and I also (foolishly) started a couple myungyeol fics, so I'm going to focus on those things for a little and then come back to this. Enjoy~

Sungyeol looked at the address on the back of the business card and then checked the numbers on the mailbox. They matched. Of course. It wasn't that he was expecting anything else; he just couldn't believe he was actually doing this. His mother would kill him if she found out. Which would be much more welcome than whatever his father would do. The last time they had spoken, Sungyeol's father had assured him that if he so much as thought of stepping out of line again he would beat every law into Sungyeol's head—figuratively, of course. (His father detested physical violence, especially as a form of discipline.) Sungyeol's fear of his father and urge to rebel against the man's strict parenting had fought a hard battle after that conversation. Only his mother's imploring had stopped him from further angering his father or hurting his own pride. She had asked him to lay low for a bit and Sungyeol knew he couldn't disobey her. She was always more lenient and forgiving about his and his brother's mistakes than their father. That seemed reason enough to acquiesce.

There weren't very many happy memories from his childhood. Private schools and a handful of tutors had been forced (in his opinion) onto him. When asked, his father said it was for his own good. If his relationship with his father could be called anything, a war would have to be it. His father wanted him to live and behave in a way that would most benefit him and boost his image, while Sungyeol just wanted to make his own decisions and not have to live up to other people's expectations. Neither of them wanted to give the other an inch and so they avoided direct contact. His main source of affection was his mother. She would often take his side whenever he and his father had butt heads. Even during his lengthy rebellious phase, which he knew he didn't deserve and he would always be grateful.

Since straightening out his life, he became more of a loner. It was partly by choice and partly because after cutting out the bad influences there weren't very many good ones left. He still kept in touch with some friends from school and went out with his co-workers on occasion. But he suspected his father kept tabs on him and the people he came in contact with. So, he tended to spend his free time at home bored out of his mind, but consoled by the belief that he was the one winning at the moment. His father expected (and probably wanted) him to slip up; that much was evident the last time they had spoken. He sometimes wondered if he was giving his father exactly what he wanted by keeping out of trouble and not bringing any bad publicity to their family's name. But he reminded himself he was obeying his mother's wishes, not letting his father control him.

After a moment's hesitation, Sungyeol pressed the doorbell. The familiar _ding dong_ echoed distantly inside the house and was shortly followed by the sound of footsteps that increased in volume as they came closer to the door. In seconds Sungyeol stood face-to-face with his old friend. Well, ex-friend.

"Nice of you to show up," Woohyun said. There might have been just a hint of smugness in his tone.

Sungyeol rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, if my father finds out I'll make sure to take you down with me this time."

"I'll take that to mean you're in." Woohyun opened the door wider, moving to one side. Sungyeol accepted the silent invitation and stepped inside. "Everyone's excited to meet you."

Sungyeol suppressed a snort; he couldn't say he felt the same. Like being the new kid at school, he felt more anxious than excited. The question of whether this was a good idea or not still sat in the back of his mind.

Sungyeol had never looked down on Woohyun during their time in school. Their different social standings and class rankings had never mattered to him. But he had to admit that when he’d first stopped in front of the house they were now walking through, he’d thought he made a mistake. Although Sungyeol hadn't thought about Woohyun in years, he wouldn't have imagined him succeeding in life in any way. Unless finally getting caught after evading arrest counted.

The interior of the house seemed just as spacious as the exterior suggested. It was filled with spotless marble and large paintings and expensive-looking objects. Ironically, everything looked as untouched as Sungyeol's own apartment. He wasn't especially impressed, though; he had grown up in a well-off family and had been to many fancy dinners in the homes of similar families. The possessions of the wealthy had never interested him all that much. He couldn't understand the point of paying too much money for something you couldn't do anything but look at.

"Running a gang must pay better than I thought."

Woohyun let out a sharp exhale through his nose, stopping to glare at Sungyeol. "We're not a gang."

Sungyeol suppressed an eye roll. He settled instead on a (vaguely sarcastic) thumbs up. Sungyeol couldn't see why the other man was getting so worked up. And he didn't really care. They turned a corner in silence. Woohyun still looked moody when Sungyeol took a quick peek at him. He decided to give him a moment to calm down before continuing the conversation. "So how did you manage to become a gang leader," Sungyeol asked as Woohyun led them down a corridor. "Back in school you couldn't even convince freshmen to do your homework for you."

Woohyun scoffed. "I think you must be confusing me with some stupid elementary school bully. I didn't need anyone to do my work for me. And I told you, we’re not a gang. We’re a _team_."

"A team that goes around stealing things." Woohyun could call it whatever he wanted; it was the same thing to Sungyeol.

"We don't steal for the sake of stealing," Woohyun stated seriously. (Sungyeol got the feeling he'd probably said that a few times before.) "People hire us to assist them in acquiring rare or elusive items. We're professionals. We don't go around beating people up or wreaking havoc."

Sungyeol tried to hide his snort behind his hand. Woohyun was being serious; he should try not to offend him. "When did this become a sales pitch? You guys get paid to steal stuff. That's all you had to say." Woohyun huffed, clearly readying an argument. Sungyeol wasn't there to argue, though. (He didn't know why he was there, honestly. He wasn't into this kind of stuff anymore—he'd promised his parents to never do anything like this again. If he was smart, he would turn around and leave. Or he wouldn't have come in the first place. Well, he'd always heard he looked a lot smarter than he really was.)

"Look," Sungyeol started, resting his hand on Woohyun's shoulder to bring them both to a stop. For the second time in less than twenty-four hours he found himself sincerely trying to be nice to Woohyun. It was an odd feeling, to say the least. "It doesn't matter what I think you guys are. It's not like I'm one of you."

Woohyun nodded in agreement. He no longer seemed put out, but reluctant instead. After a moment's hesitation, he voiced the thought he'd been holding back. "You could be, though. One of us. If you wanted." He looked up at Sungyeol imploringly. It was futile when they both knew what Sungyeol's answer would be.

"This is just a favor. I'm not looking to join you. I shouldn't even be here right now."

"But you are," Woohyun countered. He had a self-satisfied smirk on his face. Sungyeol remained silent to avoid admitting he'd been backed into a corner. "And we're here," Woohyun said, pointing to a pair of double doors a few feet away.

In the short amount of time it had taken them to reach that point, Sungyeol had forgotten about the five faceless men with whom Woohyun claimed to be working. The apprehension was back in full force, making Sungyeol once again doubt his decision. He didn't know anything about them—he barely knew anything about Woohyun if he was being honest. After all the thinking he'd done the night before about getting involved in anything related to Woohyun, he still walked blindly into it. He probably deserved whatever trouble was bound to crop up from even stepping foot into that house.

"Wait," he called out to Woohyun when the other started heading toward the doors. "You never told me what I'm supposed to be helping you guys steal." It was partly a stall for time and partly genuine curiosity. He was basically risking his freedom to help someone he hated and he didn't even know what they were going after. "Please don't tell me it's something cliché like diamonds or money."

"We're not like that." Woohyun smiled proudly at him like Sungyeol was supposed to congratulate him. Was it a feat that they weren't high-end thieves? "And this is more important. You must have something from your childhood that you wouldn't trade for all the money in the world. Something that you treasured. For Dongwoo that something is a lunchbox. It was a gift from his father and it means everything to him."

Although he found Woohyun's answer a bit underwhelming, Sungyeol wasn't so heartless that he couldn't at least sympathize. He was willing to accept sentimental value as a valid argument for theft. (His father probably wouldn't see it that way, but as long as he never found out they would be fine.) "I get it," he admitted. At Woohyun's quiet sigh of relief, Sungyeol realized the other must have been expecting some kind of rejection. He felt the need to defend himself even if Woohyun wasn't planning on questioning him. "Nothing comes to mind right now, but I believe precious memories should be protected. If this Dongwoo guy's memories are in a lunchbox, then he has every right to protect it."

The smile was back on Woohyun's face. He reached up to ruffle Sungyeol's hair before slinging an arm across his shoulders. He ended up having to tiptoe slightly since Sungyeol kept his back straight rather than accommodating Woohyun's lack of height. "Well said, Mr. Prosecutor's Son. You sound like one of us already."

Sungyeol easily brushed Woohyun's arm off. He instantly regretted being nice. "Let's just get this over with already," he sighed, irritated.

His annoyance wasn't enough to spoil Woohyun's fun, but the other man sobered up for a moment to give Sungyeol a mild warning. "Don't mention the lunchbox once we go inside. Dongwoo's still pretty upset about it even if he doesn't show it. For everyone's sake, it's better if you don't make him angry."

Sungyeol nodded and gestured for Woohyun to open the door. He wasn't sure what to expect on the other side. From Woohyun's words it didn't seem like he was about to meet a group of hardened criminals. There could very well have been a legitimate (albeit illegal) business going on behind the doors.

Woohyun entered the room first with Sungyeol a few hesitant steps behind him. The five men Sungyeol had expected were scattered around the room in various states of idleness. On one side of the room, two of them were sitting on a leather couch, their attention focused on the phones in their hands. In the center of the room, another two were immersed in an apparently exciting game of air hockey. If the amount of shouting and laughter was anything to go by. And then in a back corner, the fifth "team member" was sprawled on top of a pool table. Sungyeol almost missed him the first time he'd scanned the room. He couldn't imagine the table being comfortable enough, but where the man chose to sleep wasn't his business. To Sungyeol's relief, their entrance appeared to go unnoticed, most likely because of the noisy air hockey game.

The sound of Woohyun clearing his throat didn't change anything. Sungyeol wondered if he should reconsider branding Woohyun the leader. If he couldn't even attract attention he probably didn't deserve the title. With an impatient sigh, Woohyun took another step into the room. "Did you guys already forget why we're here?" That finally managed to get nearly everyone’s attention, their heads turning in Woohyun and Sungyeol’s direction. (The man on the pool table didn’t even move.) "I leave for five minutes and everyone decides to get comfortable. You should be trying to make a good impression."

"Yes, Mother," one of the men on the couch replied patronizingly. The men at the air hockey table snickered even as Woohyun sent them a sharp glare.

"Someone wake up Myungsoo," the other couch occupant ordered as he stood up. He took his time walking over to the front of the room. The way he seemed entirely over Woohyun's whining disguised as nagging convinced Sungyeol that there was no way Woohyun was in charge. (He'd already had his doubts.)

The so-called team gathered slowly in front of Sungyeol and Woohyun. One of the hockey players half-dragged the man referred to as Myungsoo over from the comfort of his pool table while the other three lined up, disinterested. Sungyeol wasn't as bothered by the reaction as he probably should've been. He was never that great at meeting new people.

Wrapping an arm around Sungyeol, Woohyun pulled him a little closer as he said, "Everyone this is Lee Sungyeol. We went to school together."

Sungyeol brushed off Woohyun's arm and even more space between them. He licked his lips as he tried not to feel intimidated by all the eyes trained on him. "I was told I'd be doing the driving. I assume that's important for this kind of thing, so I'll try not to kill us in the process."

The shortest guy was the first to step forward. His smile was bright and welcoming, not at all the expression of a supposed criminal. "Jang Dongwoo. Nice to meet you," he greeted Sungyeol warmly, holding his hand out.

Sungyeol felt like his arm might get pulled off with how enthusiastically Dongwoo shook his hand. Woohyun's earlier comment about not angering him seemed pointless. The other man didn’t look like he’d ever been angry in his life. "You, too." Sungyeol couldn’t help returning the smile. He found Dongwoo's amicable demeanor unexpectedly calming. Helping Woohyun almost didn't seem like the worst idea.

Myungsoo, still half asleep, mumbled out his greeting next. He was almost as tall as Sungyeol with dark brown hair that was disheveled on one side. Somehow that didn't make him any less attractive. The first thing Sungyeol had noticed was Myungsoo's well-proportioned face, but it had been more of an observation than anything else. All Sungyeol was interested in knowing was why someone like him—someone who looked like him—would want to be in that line of work. The smile Sungyeol gave him was several shades dimmer than the one he'd given Dongwoo, but still had the same amount of sincerity. If Myungsoo noticed the difference, it didn't show. He moved closer to Dongwoo to rest his head on the shorter man's shoulder. Sungyeol assumed he was checking out of the conversation, having done his part.

The third new face was probably the most intimidating. He was much shorter than Sungyeol (though still taller than Dongwoo), but height wasn't the problem. The scowl he'd been sporting since Woohyun interrupted the air hockey game was. He didn't look at all impressed by Sungyeol—not that the other could blame him.

"I'm Howon," the guy introduced himself gruffly. He didn't bother to initiate a handshake and Sungyeol couldn't have been more thankful.

"We usually call him Hoya," Woohyun supplied oh-so-helpfully.

"I'll let you know when you can."

Sungyeol dropped his gaze to the floor. He knew a warning when he heard it. Maybe Woohyun filled everyone in on Sungyeol's past (he knew more than Sungyeol was comfortable with him knowing) or maybe Howon had done some digging on his own. Either way, Sungyeol knew his presence wasn't entirely welcome. As quickly as it had come, the good mood Dongwoo had put him in was gone.

The young man next to Howon reached out to pinch his arm, hissing out a "be nice" as well. Howon winced and shot an annoyed look at him. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he settled for crossing his arms instead. The man next to him rolled his eyes at the childish behavior. His expression smoothed out effortlessly as he turned to look at Sungyeol. "Lee Sungjong," he said politely, holding out his hand. Sungyeol accepted it gingerly. "I would tell you not to mind him," Sungjong tilted his head in Howon's direction, "because he's not always like that, but he really is an ass all the time."

The room erupted into a mixture of laughter and enthusiastic noises of assent that easily drowned out Howon’s offended protests. In a way, it felt like everyone was on his side (except for Howon) and although Sungyeol hated to admit it, it was reassuring. It also reminded him of when he'd became friends with Woohyun. The other guys in Woohyun's circle had been wary of letting someone with such close ties to the police join them. Woohyun had stuck up for him, vouching that Sungyeol wouldn't rat them out. (That was probably what started his idolization of Woohyun. He didn't plan on ever admitting just how much he admired the older man, but he had a feeling Woohyun already knew.)

Although he was surprised the next time Woohyun comfortably slung an arm across his shoulders, he didn't immediately push it off. He could sense the grin on the other's face without even looking at him. "It's okay," he said to Sungjong, choosing to ignore Woohyun's incredibly close presence. "I've met my share of asses. I can handle it."

Howon scoffed, his scowl deepening. It wasn't likely that they would ever be anything close to friends. Sungyeol wouldn't let it get to him. He could accept that not everyone was going to like him. He wasn't planning on being with them for very long anyway; they'd just have to tolerate each other for the time being.

Sungjong offered him a smile before stepping aside for the last member of the team to introduce himself. The man hadn't said anything since calling for someone to wake up Myungsoo. He looked as serious as Howon, but without the thinly veiled suspicion. "I'm Sunggyu." Sungyeol would’ve preferred a handshake or polite bow instead of the awkward smile the other man gave him. "Let's try to get along while you're here, yeah?" Although it sounded innocuous, Sungyeol could tell it was really a reproach aimed at Howon. He also realized that it meant Sunggyu was the one in command, which he'd already guessed. Sungyeol easily nodded in agreement.

"Sunggyu's our leader," Woohyun stated the obvious. He stood up a bit straighter. (Not that it did anything for his height.) "And I'm the second-in-command."

Sungyeol finally shrugged off Woohyun’s arm. He wasn’t the only one to send a judging look the other man’s way. "Only you call yourself that. No one else agreed with you," Sungjong corrected Woohyun.

"I agreed with him," Dongwoo chimed in.

"You don’t count," Howon countered. Sungyeol thought Dongwoo’s pout was kind of cute, even though he was a bit lost at the turn of the conversation. "You always agree with him." The others nodded in unison. Sungyeol noted that Sunggyu looked particularly sullen in his compliance.

Having had enough of being snubbed, Woohyun moved to comfort a still sulky Dongwoo. He pulled the shorter man into a tight hug (that automatically included Myungsoo as the other was still using Dongwoo as a pillow) and didn’t let go as he addressed everyone else. "If you guys are done being mean to Dongwoo, can we go back to the actual reason why we’re here?"

"No one was being mean," Sunggyu denied. He seemed even more displeased as he looked at the two of them. Sungyeol filed away Woohyun’s eyeroll before he carefully let go of Dongwoo, who was reluctant to lose the contact. He would look into that exchange later. "And we've all introduced ourselves, so what else is there to do?"

Woohyun crossed his arms, a smug look settling on his face. He may not have been the leader, but he clearly did most, if not all, of the group's planning. And he prided himself on it. "They say teamwork makes the dream work."

"Nobody says that," Sungjong interrupted.

Woohyun continued as if Sungjong hadn't said anything. "If Sungyeol's going to work with us, we should get to know him better."

"I already told you I don't want to join you," Sungyeol reminded Woohyun. The way the other had worded it made it seem like Sungyeol was going to be a permanent member rather than just a fill-in. That didn't sit very well in his stomach. Nor did the voice in Sungyeol's head telling him he shouldn't have come in the first place if he didn't want his intentions to be misconstrued. He had a feeling he was going to hear that a lot (from himself and probably the others as well) for the next however long this thing lasted. "Plus, I think I know you well enough. More than I wish I knew, actually."

The admission was met with an awkward silence. Sungyeol was confused by the knowing looks sent his way until he heard Howon mutter, "I knew there was something he wasn't telling us." He wanted to laugh, but the very idea of there being any sort of romantic feelings between him and Woohyun was too absurd for him to manage any words let alone sounds. Fortunately, Woohyun picked up the slack.

"He didn't mean it like that." The rest of the team didn't look at all convinced. Except Myungsoo who looked like the gears were still turning in his head. Sungyeol wasn't entirely sure that he was even paying attention. "We were just friends."

"It's true." Sungyeol tried to back him up even though the skeptical looks hadn't left everyone else's faces. "There's no way I would've dated someone like him."

"You see? There's no—hey! What do you mean 'someone like me'?" Woohyun turned to Sungyeol, the hurt and betrayal in his eyes almost making Sungyeol want to take back his words. Almost. "Why wouldn't you want to date me? What's wrong with me?"

"Where do we start?" The snarky question came from Howon who finally had something other than a frown on his face. He looked close to amused.

"Just worry about yourself," Woohyun sneered at him. Whatever he was trying to imply didn't seem to faze Howon as the other man only grinned back. Sighing, Woohyun rubbed at his temples. "Can we please stop getting sidetracked?"

Sungyeol chose not to point out that they probably wouldn't get distracted so easily if Woohyun stopped talking.

⁞

Sungyeol stiffened when he felt Myungsoo's arms circle his waist and his head rest on his shoulder. He looked down at the other guy, who had his eyes closed and a drunk smile on his face, then over at Sungjong sitting next to him. "What is he doing?"

Sungjong glanced up from his phone. (Sungyeol was starting to believe it was permanently attached to his hand; the younger man had barely put it down since the moment they met.) "Oh yeah, we should have warned you about that." He didn't sound particularly concerned or apologetic. "Myungsoo tends to get clingy when he's drunk."

Sungyeol sat completely still. He never had to deal with a clingy drunk person before. Should he try to wake him up? "What am I supposed to do?"

"There's not much you can do," Sungjong shrugged nonchalantly. He took a drink from the obnoxiously bright cocktail Dongwoo had ordered for him and made a moue. A noise from his phone brought his attention back to the device.

Seeing as he wouldn't get any help on that side, Sungyeol looked over to where Sunggyu and Dongwoo sat next to Myungsoo. They had their heads close together with stupid grins on their faces, whispering who knew what to each other. Okay, no help from that side either. Woohyun and Howon had hurried off to pick up girls the moment the seven of them had stepped into the club. Sungyeol hadn't heard anything from them since.

"Hey." Sungyeol turned at the sound of a woman's voice, momentarily forgetting the drunk guy attached to him. A rather pretty girl stood in front of Sungjong who had also turned in his seat. She wore a short black dress with her long dark hair falling over her shoulders.

"Seolhyun." Sungjong’s smile was fond. "I didn't think you'd show up." Sungyeol was surprised at how much older Sungjong seemed with this girl in front of him.

"I had some time." They smiled at each other and Sungyeol figured there must have been another meaning to those words. "So, are you going to sit here all night drinking?"

"Wouldn't be the first time."

Sungyeol felt awkward watching them flirt, but they didn't seem to notice him. He wondered if he should introduce himself or make them aware of his presence. But at the same time, he was intrigued by whatever was happening in front of him and he wanted to see how their conversation would end. His curiosity won in the end.

"Should I wait for you to ask me to dance," Seolhyun asked, cocking her head to the side.

Sungjong leaned his elbows on the countertop and mimicked the way Seolhyun had tilted her head. "You could always ask me first." Sungyeol's eyes flickered between the two of them as they stared at each other. It was like watching a tennis match even though neither of them were moving.

Seolhyun broke first, stepping closer until she was standing directly in front of Sungjong. "You know where to find me," she said. She leaned down to speak right next to his ear. "If you change your mind." Her smile was deceptively innocent when she pulled back. Sungjong let her have the last word, staying perfectly still as she turned away and disappeared into the crowd. Sungyeol was almost disappointed to see her go.

"I like her." Sungjong looked at Sungyeol in surprise. Like he had guessed, the other had completely forgotten his existence. "Is she your girlfriend," Sungyeol asked although he already knew the answer.

"He wishes." Sungyeol jumped slightly at the sound of Myungsoo's voice. He thought the other had fallen asleep or passed out. (Was there a difference?) His arms were still tightly wrapped around Sungyeol and he continued to use Sungyeol's shoulder as a pillow, but now his half-lidded eyes were trained on Sungjong. "I'm pretty sure she likes you, too, so just go ask her out already."

"Shut up," Sungjong scoffed. From the way he blushed and took a large gulp from his drink, it was obvious he knew Myungsoo was right. A moment later he glanced over at Myungsoo. "You really think she likes me?" He didn’t bother to hide the nervousness creeping into his voice.

Myungsoo mumbled something that could have been either a "yes" or "guess". Sungyeol tried to gently push the guy back into his own seat, but to no effect. It was like pushing against a brick wall. "You two look good together," Sungyeol said to Sungjong, hoping to boost his confidence. It was also true. He gave the younger man an encouraging smile and a firm pat on the back.

"Okay," Sungjong said quietly. After tossing back the rest of his drink, his voice became louder and more determined. "Okay, I'm doing it. I'm asking her out."

Sungyeol started to wish him luck, but stopped when he remembered the drunk problem attached to him. "Wait. You can't leave me with him."

"You'll be fine," the other dismissed. "And look, Woohyun and Hoya are coming back." Sungyeol looked to where he was pointing at the two guys squeezing their way through the crowded dancefloor. When they finally got to the bar Sungjong had already headed off to find Seolhyun.

"Where's he going," Woohyun asked as he took the newly vacated seat. While Hoya sat in the next stool over.

"Apparently, a girl named Seolhyun is interested in him."

Woohyun's eyes widened at the news. "The kid finally grew a pair, huh?"

"Damn, I owe Dongwoo twenty bucks now," Hoya sighed. He looked briefly at Dongwoo and Sunggyu still huddled in their own world before his eyes fell on Sungyeol. Taking in the sight of Myungsoo clinging to him, Howon let out a quiet scoff. "You sure work fast."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sungyeol wanted to feel insulted, but he didn't know where the insult was in Howon's words.

Like the literal buffer he was, Woohyun cut in before Howon could reply. "Now kids, Sunggyu said to play nice." He raised his hand to call the bartender over from the other end of the bar. "So let's make a toast to, I don't know, friendship or whatever."

Sungyeol held up a hand when Woohyun slid a shot of tequila in front of him. "I don't really drink." He shook his half-empty bottle of water for emphasis.

"Of course you don't," Howon muttered. At least, that's what Sungyeol thought he heard. "That kinda defeats the purpose of coming to a club and sitting at the bar all night, don't you think?"

Woohyun turned to Sungyeol, mostly blocking his view of Howon's smug face. "If you don't really drink, then you must drink sometimes. And this can be one of those times. I'm not saying you should get drunk off your ass," he clarifies when Sungyeol opens his mouth to protest. "But just live a little. Your dad's not looking over your shoulder right now."

Sungyeol tensed at the mention of his father. He couldn't agree with Woohyun when he didn't know for sure that his father wasn't really watching him. That was the main reason why he lived the way he did. Even if he didn't want to admit it to himself, his father still had a hold on him, he could still affect him. He rarely drank, he didn't smoke, he avoided dating. Anything that might invoke his father's harsh judgement, he did his best to stay away from it. Until now, that is.

Despite their years apart, Woohyun could still read Sungyeol like a book. He downed his own shot before gesturing for Sungyeol to do the same. "One drink won't hurt."

Sungyeol didn't know who was worse: his father or Woohyun. They were both worryingly good at messing with his head whether they knew it or not. And yet, as much as he wanted to hate them he couldn't find it in himself to truly despise them. He could never really hate them no matter how much he tried. That explained why he let Woohyun into his apartment, why he agreed to help him, why he came to a bar with people he barely knew. He'd been doing fine thanks to the distance he'd put between himself and the two of them. It was almost enough for him to believe he was thinking for himself. And now he had taken ten steps back to following Woohyun and letting him talk him into situations he'd probably regret.

The tequila burned on its way down, the warmth filling Sungyeol's chest and spreading through his gut. He took a sip from his water to get rid of the unpleasant taste in his mouth. That wasn't really his drink of choice when he chose to indulge. His eyes widened when Woohyun signaled to the bartender for two more shots. "You said one drink," he reminded the other.

"That hardly counts as a drink." Woohyun slid another shot of tequila in front of Sungyeol. He held up his own in anticipation of clinking their glasses together. After a moment Sungyeol picked up his glass and tapped it against Woohyun's before quickly downing the alcohol. "There you go." Woohyun smiled and gave him a slap on the back. "Now let's get rid of your baggage and then we can actually have fun."

After some gentle coaxing, Woohyun managed to pry Myungsoo's arms from around Sungyeol's waist. With him busy convincing Sunggyu and Dongwoo to take the drunk man home, Sungyeol was left unprepared when Howon hesitantly spoke to him. "I'm sorry...about earlier."

Sungyeol tried to hide his surprise as he looked over at Howon. The other didn't seem like the type to apologize for anything, even when he was clearly in the wrong. Howon's words from just moments before came to Sungyeol's mind. He couldn't possibly accept such a vague apology. "You're gonna have to be more specific."

Howon grimaced. Obviously, he'd been hoping Sungyeol wouldn't make a fuss. "I'm sorry for back at the house. And, you know, for just now. I was—"

"A dick?"

Sungyeol half-expected the other to punch him. Instead, Howon laughed. An abrupt, almost bark-like sound, but still a laugh. The corners of his mouth even turned up. Sungyeol would've been less surprised to have Howon's fist in his face. "Yeah, I guess I was kind of a dick," Howon agreed.

"Who’s a dick?" Having succeeded in unloading Myungsoo on Sunggyu and Dongwoo, Woohyun warily joined the conversation. He must have expected the two of them to be at each other’s throat.

"I am, apparently." Howon seemed even more at ease despite admitting to being a dick twice.

Sungyeol figured he should finally accept the other man's apology. "You were," he corrected Howon. "But you don't seem so bad now so, I guess you're forgiven."

Howon snorted out a laugh. "You're kind of okay, too." He held his glass out and Sungyeol readily tapped his water bottle against it.

"Did you two just make up," Woohyun asked after watching their exchange in stunned silence. Sungyeol didn't have to look at him to know he was grinning like an idiot. "Are you friends now? Can he call you Hoya? You know what?" Woohyun spoke over Sungyeol and Howon when they tried to speak. "It doesn't matter. The team's all together and we're celebrating. Let's just go crazy." He grabbed Sungyeol's arm to pull him to his feet.

Sungyeol pulled back, keeping himself firmly planted on his barstool. "I think I'm crazy enough already," he said. He didn't know where Woohyun intended to take him, but he planned on resisting to the end.

Woohyun stopped pulling Sungyeol, though he still held onto his arm, and turned to Howon. "Come on, Hoya. I know you never turn down a dance."

"That doesn't mean I want to dance with you."

Sungyeol would've felt bad for Woohyun if he wasn't completely sure he would make a fool of himself if he agreed to go with him. "Yeah, I'm gonna sit this one out, too," he chimed in before Woohyun could try to convince him.

"You guys are really going to make me dance by myself?"

"I'm sure you won't be alone for long," Sungyeol assured him. Back in school, Woohyun had been incredibly popular. Sungyeol was too busy idolizing him to be jealous of how well-liked the other man was.

Woohyun's disappointed pout melted into a sly grin. He tightened his hold on Sungyeol, leaning closer. "Are you jealous," he teased as his smile grew wider. "Are you making an offer?" Sungyeol and Howon were synchronized in their looks of distaste. Their reactions didn’t make much of a difference to Woohyun, though. He started pulling on Sungyeol’s arm again and actually managed to bring him to his feet. "You don’t have to play hard to get with me."

"I promise you I’m not."

"Don’t worry; I won’t laugh at your dancing." Sungyeol rolled his eyes, but he knew Woohyun was telling the truth. He’d never made fun of Sungyeol’s insecurities when they were in school.

"On second thought," Howon started, the judging look still on his face. "I don’t want watching you two flirt to be the highlight of my night." With that he stood up and stalked off towards the dancefloor. Woohyun was all too happy to follow his lead, half-dragging Sungyeol as he tried to deny Howon’s claim. It was useless anyway. Sungyeol made a mental note to set the record straight about his relationship with Woohyun. That turned out to be rather useless as well. In the crush of the crowd and overpowering thump of music, all his thoughts were swept away. He let himself fall into the moment; he let his past and his worries and all of the unresolved bullshit he’d tried his best to ignore slip from his mind. Tonight he was "going crazy", as Woohyun put it, and not letting anything distract him from that goal.

By the time the three of them stumbled out of the club at two in the morning, they were all half-exhausted, half-exhilarated. Howon could hardly put one foot in front of the other. Woohyun, who had probably (definitely) drank the most, wouldn't stop talking. Sungyeol couldn't stop the huge grin plastered on his face or the (totally un-manly) giggles. If he slurred his words a bit or tripped over his own feet, the feeling of being free—really and truly free—would be more to blame than alcohol. He had been living on his own for some time, but he had never felt the kind of freedom (unconditional and unrestrained) that he felt that night. It was a new experience and something he wanted to get used to.


	4. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I can't believe it's been two months since I updated this. I'm so sorry for taking so long. Hopefully this chapter makes up for the long wait. It's a bit longer than I thought it would be, but not nearly as long as the last chapter. This is also the last chapter that I had anything written for, so it'll probably be a while before I update again. (On a side-note, I've discovered that trap music works wonders for my writing process and I hope that means I'll be able to write more and finish things faster.) Okay, I'll stop talking now. Enjoy~

Sungyeol squinted at the sunlight coming in through his bedroom window. _God, why is it so bright in the morning_ , he thought. He felt a dull aching in the back of his head, like someone was slowly drilling a hole in his skull. He had the worst taste in his mouth and he was sure something must have crawled into it and died. He squeezed his eyes shut briefly before slowly sitting up.

He still had on yesterday's clothes and he hadn't even bothered to take his phone or wallet out of his pants' pockets. As he scratched the bird's nest on his head, he noticed how long his hair had gotten. His mother would probably tell him it was time for a haircut, but he still had some time before they met up again so he would put it off until then.

Sungyeol was pleased to find that he could recall most of the previous night. He wasn't entirely sure what time he got in, but other than that there weren't any regrettable occurrences. Of course, he wouldn't let that stop him from telling Woohyun what a bad influence he was.

"Shit, I'm late," he cursed when the thought of the other guy reminded him that they were supposed to meet that morning. Twenty minutes ago, actually, Sungyeol noticed as he glanced at his bedside alarm clock while extracting himself from his sheets. He stumbled into the bathroom and managed to clean himself up faster than he even thought he could. He threw on the first items of clothing his hands landed on without bothering to check if they matched. (Not that he usually paid any special attention to what he wore.) He was out the door in record time, not even bothering to eat anything.

His headache had only just started to dull by the time he reached the house. He went around the back like Woohyun had instructed the day before. After some wandering through the kitchen, a parlor, and a study, he finally found a familiar hallway. When he entered the game room, he saw that his late start wasn't all that bad.

Sunggyu was laying on the couch with his eyes closed and his head in Dongwoo's lap while the latter gently massaged Sunggyu's temples. Myungsoo was once again on the pool table (although Sungyeol suspected it wasn't because of a hangover, but because he just liked to lay there). He had on sunglasses despite being indoors—and presumably asleep. Howon (Sungyeol wasn’t sure if he’d graduated to calling him Hoya just yet) sat in an armchair with his attention focused on the phone in his hand. Sungjong was perched on the arm of the chair also on his phone, his fingers tapping fervently on the screen. Judging by the happy look on the boy's face, Sungyeol guessed it must've had something to do with the woman from last night.

Dongwoo gave him a small wave as he entered the room, sunny smile in place. He was about to ask the older guy where Woohyun was when the door reopened.

"Good, everyone's here," Woohyun said brightly, shutting the door behind him. Sungyeol didn't know how he could be as animated as he was when he had spent the night steeped in alcohol. "I've got some good news and bad news." He continued despite the lackluster reception.

"Bad news first, please," came Sunggyu's sleepy voice.

"Well, the bad news is I'm still waiting on a phone call so you guys didn't have to come so early." A collective groan filled the room.

"Why do you seem so happy about that," Howon asked.

"The good news," Woohyun chose to ignore Howon's question, "is that you guys get a few more hours to do whatever you want until I finish getting things together. I'll let you know when everything's set."

Sungyeol cheered silently in his head. He’d left his apartment in such a rush that he didn’t get chance to make himself anything to aid his hangover. He could really use some strong coffee and something to eat. A tap on his shoulder pulls Sungyeol from his deep contemplation of the best hungover brunch order. When he turns around he finds Myungsoo standing timidly behind him. The other man is staring down at the floor like it’s the most interesting thing in the world.

"Would it be okay if… Can we talk? Alone? We can grab a cup of coffee, if you want."

It’s like he read Sungyeol’s mind. Well, not exactly. Sungyeol hadn’t envisioned spending his free time with Myungsoo—or anyone else from the team, really. (Though he didn’t doubt Woohyun would try to worm his way in. And he would probably succeed.) "Um, yeah, I guess," Sungyeol agreed. From the reserved introduction the day before to this bashful request, Sungyeol hadn’t expected having to exchange more than pleasantries with Myungsoo.

Relief washed over what Sungyeol could see of Myungsoo’s face as he looked up at Sungyeol. "O-okay."

Again, Sungyeol found himself wondering what the other man was doing on a team like this. Maybe it was a good thing they were about to have a talk. It could be a chance to find that answer and to get to know Myungsoo better.

  


⁞

  


"Listen," Myungsoo said to Sungyeol, but his eyes were fixed on the steaming cup of tea in front of him. He had finally taken off his sunglasses after the two of them entered the coffee shop. He insisted on paying for Sungyeol's coffee, but Sungyeol didn't think that was necessary. Myungsoo reluctantly gave in. "I'm really sorry about last night. I hope I didn't make you too uncomfortable."

"It's okay." In truth, Sungyeol had been very uncomfortable. He wasn't a touchy person and he didn't really like others in his personal space. Normally he would have said just that, but Myungsoo looked especially distressed at the moment. He didn't have the heart to make the guy feel even worse. "If you want, we can pretend like it never happened."

Myungsoo looked up from his cup. "Why?" He seemed genuinely confused, but that soon made way for embarrassment. "I mean, y-yeah, sure, if you—if you want to." He looked away from Sungyeol and back down to his cup.

"Okay, then it's forgotten." Sungyeol couldn't help smiling at the blushing guy in front of him. The cool, indifferent guy from before had somehow transformed into a flustered boy. He thought it was kind of cute.

Myungsoo nodded his agreement and a silence fell over their table. Sungyeol took a big gulp from his iced coffee while he tried to think of something to talk about. He hadn't actively tried to make friends in a long while; he wasn't entirely sure where to start.

"So, you and Woohyun know each other," Myungsoo asked, no longer pink in the cheeks. He took a sip of his now cooled tea as he watched Sungyeol with curious eyes.

Sungyeol made a small noise of acknowledgment, grateful to the other for starting the conversation. "We went to school together. Well, I went to school. I don't think I saw Woohyun there very often." Myungsoo chuckled softly as if he expected that of Woohyun. And Sungyeol supposed they must have been as close as he and his ex-friend had been. "I should stress that Woohyun was the one who was a bad influence. I was just a good kid going through a rebellious phase. What about you," he asked, hoping Myungsoo wouldn't pick up on his reluctance to talk about his relationship with Woohyun. "How do you know him?"

"I don't, really. I guess I should say it hasn't been that long. He kind of just showed up one day, asking me to join the team." Sungyeol resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the word team. He thought it sounded stupid, but Woohyun insisted on using it. "It's been almost two years. I don't suppose I know nearly as much about him as you do."

Sungyeol shrugged noncommittally. In truth, he didn't think he knew that much about Woohyun. The other had always been careful about how much of himself he revealed. As Sungyeol had gotten to know him he'd found that Woohyun didn't give away his trust or his secrets easily. He knew a lot of people and called many of them his friends, but Sungyeol had found that that didn't mean Woohyun was close to them and trusted them. Sungyeol had been one of the few people around whom Woohyun let his guard down. He got to see more of the other's real self instead of the confident, sometimes cocky front he put up in public. But despite that, Sungyeol still thought of Woohyun as a paradox.

"Who do you actually know, then?"

Myungsoo's answer was quick, as if he'd been waiting for the question. "Sungjong and I have known each other since high school. He acts like he's over everything, but he's really sweet once you get to know him. And he decides your worth his time." Sungyeol observed the fond smile that spread across the other's face. He couldn't help his curiosity about the meaning behind it, but he chose not to voice it.

"And what about everyone else? You all look really close, like you've known each other for a really long time."

"Yeah, it does seem that way," Myungsoo nodded. "Dongwoo and Hoya are probably the ones who've known each other the longest. They pretty much grew up together. I'm not sure how Sunggyu and Woohyun know each other, but they started the team together. They seem like they hate each other most of time, but I think that's just how they are."

Sungyeol couldn't help remembering his friendship with Woohyun. They had been the best of friends. They rarely fought and if they did it was only over petty things that they would forget about an hour later. Any of the punches they threw at each other were playful and never meant to really hurt. Sungyeol was embarrassed to admit that he followed Woohyun just about everywhere, even when it meant getting into trouble and pissing off his father. And as much as they were equals, he also idolized Woohyun. Which was probably why things ended the way they did. And he missed him just as much as he hated him.

Sungyeol looked down at his drink, running a finger through the condensation on the cup. Most of the ice had melted leaving water sitting on top of the coffee. "Now I feel kind of left out," he said with a laugh although he was only half-joking. "Everyone's already paired up and then there's me." He expected the other to bring up Woohyun. It made sense. But although Myungsoo proved to be rather intuitive, Sungyeol wasn't prepared for the proof.

"You can have me, if you want." Almost as soon as the sentence was out of his mouth Myungsoo realized the double meaning in the words. His eyes widened comically as a flush crept up his neck and onto his face. "Shit, that came out wrong. I meant friends. We should be friends. J-just friends." In what Sungyeol assumed was a desperate attempt to stop the rush of words, Myungsoo grabbed at his teacup and downed the rest of the tea. He kept his head down and avoided Sungyeol's eyes, most likely wishing to become invisible or even die so long as it meant the embarrassment would end.

Sungyeol, on the other hand, had recovered from the other's gaffe fairly quickly. He didn't know what to make of the man in front of him. "If we're going to be working together it's better to be friends on the same team than enemies." He held his hand out across the table. "I look forward to getting to know you, Kim Myungsoo."

Myungsoo let out a snort, most likely at the other's overly formal words, but still reached to clasp the outstretched hand. "As do I, Lee Sungyeol," he responded, copying Sungyeol's tone. His dimpled smile matched Sungyeol's gummy one as they shook hands like they were sealing a deal. When they let go of each other's hand, Myungsoo took a quick glance at his phone. A short squeak escaped him once he saw the time. "We should probably get going if we don't want to be late," he explained to the other's confused face.

Sungyeol looked to his now watery drink, contemplating if he should try to finish it so that his money didn't go to waste. "Okay," he said, deciding he would rather not subject his taste-buds to watered down coffee just for the sake of a few bucks. "And on the way you can tell me what you know about everyone else."

  


⁞

  


The seven of them sat around a long table in the rarely-used dining room. A couple of floor-to-ceiling windows on one wall let in the afternoon sun. The parted curtains allowed a good view of the sprawling backyard. The grass looked as untouched as the polished wood in front of Sungyeol. He resisted resting his arms on it, not wanting to blemish the shiny surface.

They were all at one end of the table with Sunggyu at the head. Woohyun sat to his right, fittingly and most likely intentionally. Dongwoo sat next to him, the serious look on his face a stark contrast from the bubbly man Sungyeol had been introduced to the day before. The last on that side of the table was Howon. He seemed much more put together thanks to their short break. Across from those three sat Sungjong, sitting on Sunggyu's left, followed by Myungsoo and Sungyeol. Sungyeol had let Myungsoo half-drag him to their seats when they had arrived. Sunggyu and Sungjong, the only other occupants of the room at the time, had raised questioning eyebrows at the apparent closeness between the two of them. Sungyeol could understand the confusion. Whatever awkwardness that was lingering between them had managed to evaporate in the short time they'd spent in each other's company. Myungsoo was like a kid with a new puppy, all wide-eyed curiosity and enthusiasm. Sungyeol thought it was kind of cute and he had found himself smiling slightly as he had listened to Myungsoo boast about Sungjong and how they became friends after Myungsoo had attempted to stand up for him only to discover that Sungjong could take care of himself.

"Okay, since everyone's here we might as well get this thing started." Woohyun's booming voice addressed the table of men, bringing an end to the smattering of conversations. "Our target is Lee Soo Man. I would hope we all know who he is," he said with his eyes fixed on Sungyeol. The other man rolled his eyes, but still nodded. Doesn't everyone know who the richest people are even if they have no use for the information? "And assuming we do, then we should all know that aside from being a tycoon and all around rich bastard, he's also a collector. It's a little of everything, though the most important part is that he tends to buy older items. Most of them are between forty to sixty years old. So it makes sense that he would be interested in Dongwoo's lunchbox. It's a foreign import from the fifties that's still in good condition despite all its years of use. Of course, he'd add it to his collection."

Sungyeol's eyes flickered over to Dongwoo as he noticed the other tense at the mention of the lunchbox. Dongwoo stared down at his clasped hands on the table in front of him. A muscle jumped in his tightly clenched jaw, while the rest of his body was held completely still. Sungyeol realized he wasn't the only one to notice the tension knotting up the second eldest when a hand clamped down on Dongwoo's folded ones. He was sure everyone in the room noticed the change, even if Woohyun continued talking without the slightest pause and no one else's eyes turned to the man with anger and agitation coming off him in waves.

The hand, belonging to Hoya, squeezed gently, silently conveying a message. It was almost as if he was absorbing the other's rage. The muscles in his hand and forearm getting tighter as Dongwoo's slowly loosened. The stiffness didn't completely leave him, but he seemed much more relaxed.

Oddly enough, Sungyeol felt a touch of relief to see Dongwoo being calmed by Hoya. He still didn't know the full story behind the lunchbox and its importance to Dongwoo. But the other had been the only other person, besides Sungjong, who he had liked as soon as he met him. Even with his criminal ties and background he seemed like a genuinely good person, as oxymoronic as that sounded. And that only made Sungyeol more curious to know the reason for the anger that had to be tamped down. He made a mental note to talk with Dongwoo and get the answers to those questions before once again turning his attention back to Woohyun. Only Woohyun wasn't talking anymore. Sunggyu had the floor.

"There are a lot of ways we can go about getting into the house. But luckily for us, we don't have to try any of them. In two weeks Lee's wife will be holding a charity auction at their home. Which makes our job easier and harder at the same time. Easier," Sunggyu explained, "Because it's a perfect cover and we should be able to blend in long enough to get to the lunchbox. But with a mansion full of rich snobs and expensive things there will most definitely be a shitload of security."

"Which is why I came up with a flawless plan," Woohyun interjected. At Sungjong's skeptical scoff and Hoya's disbelieving snort he corrected himself. "Okay, it's not entirely flawless. A party full of drunk rich people is bound to have unforeseen complications. _But_ it's still a good plan." He sat straighter in his seat and clasped his hands on the table in front of him. "As I'm sure we've all learned from every heist movie ever made, it's all about misdirection. If we keep everyone distracted long enough it'll be easy to get to the lunchbox and get out unnoticed."

"So we'll need two of us on the inside so we know everything they know and one person keeping watch outside," Sunggyu continued. "The rest of us will be working the room."

"And three guesses who the outside guy is," Sungjong interrupted. Although his voice sounded bored, the hard set of his jaw and fire in his eyes clearly expressed his irritation.

Sunggyu bowed his head slightly in apology. (Sungyeol found the move surprising considering Sunggyu was the leader. In most cases, subordinates didn't question their leader's decisions.) "Sorry, Jjong." Sunggyu offered the younger man a contrite smile. "If it makes you feel any better, it's because you're easily the smartest out of all of us."

Sungjong folded his arms across his chest, turning his nose up. "It doesn't, but I'll accept the compliment."

Sungyeol suppressed a laugh. The more he learned about Sungjong, the more he came to like him. He was nothing like he appeared—at least, not all the time—which Sungyeol saw as a strength and probably one of the reasons why he was on the team. Befriending him might not be as easy as it had been with Myungsoo, though.

At the thought of Myungsoo, Sungyeol's gaze turned to the man next to him. He had an arm thrown across Sungjong's shoulder and his other hand placed on the youngest's knee. Sungyeol started to wonder if the look on Myungsoo's face when he'd been talking about Sungjong earlier meant what he was thinking. It would make sense, but then again Sungjong was clearly interested in someone else. Even Myungsoo knew that. And the day before, Myungsoo had been hanging off of Dongwoo up until they left for the club. Then, after a few drinks, he'd latched onto Sungyeol like a drunken koala. He was probably just a touchy kind of guy.

Not sure what to do with that observation, Sungyeol tuned back in to the conversation still going on. Woohyun was explaining the roles of the two so-called "inside men". He and Dongwoo would be posing as waiters which would give them access to parts of Lee's home that would be off-limits to the guests. It also made it easier for them to sneak off to get to the lunchbox. "Sunggyu, Myungsoo, Hoya, and Sungyeol will be working the room and keeping eyes on Lee and the security," Woohyun continued. "I'll give you guys your aliases later. You can make up whatever backstory you want. It's only important that you say the right name at the door."

Sunggyu spoke up with the next part of the plan. "Once things have settled down at the party, Dongwoo, Woohyun, and I will sneak out to wherever Lee's keeping the lunchbox. For that, we'll need a distraction from you guys as well as Sungjong's help through the cameras we're going to install in the house."

"And how are we going to do that," Howon asked.

"I know a guy," Woohyun replied with an overly confident smirk. He probably thought he looked cool being all cryptic. Sungyeol just thought he watched way too many spy movies.

Sunggyu didn't spare a second bursting his right hand's bubble. "It's me. I'm the guy," he stated flatly. He barely flinched when Woohyun smacked his arm.

"It sounds better if you're vague about it," he scolded the leader. "Makes things more exciting."

"It really doesn't." Sunggyu's dry response was received with emphatic agreement, much to Woohyun's dismay. Sungyeol noted the wide smile on Dongwoo's face. It seemed genuine and Sungyeol was unexplainably relieved to see it.

"So, _anyway_." Woohyun tried to steer the conversation back to the topic at hand. (Sungyeol got the feeling that happened a lot in this group.) "Once we've gotten out of the party, Sungyeol will go back to the car with Sungjong and wait for us. It'll look suspicious if we all leave at once so the rest of us will have to slip out in intervals. Our transportation is going to be one of the catering vans since we'll have to leave through the front gate. They shouldn't ask any questions."

With the general idea of the plan laid out, it wasn’t long before the meeting came to an end. Woohyun was pulled aside by Sungjong who had questions about the cameras and monitoring of the party. Dongwoo and Howon got up together, mulling over their food options. Before they could leave the room, Dongwoo turned back to pull Sunggyu to his feet. The leader allowed himself to be dragged along as he complained of always having to pay because he was the oldest.

"I still have some more dirt on the guys if you have time," Myungsoo said, turning to Sungyeol in his seat. He seemed to be back in his excitable five-year-old mode.

Besides the fact that he didn’t have any plans, Sungyeol was just as eager to spend more time with the other man. He couldn’t really remember the last time he made a friend. Especially one as interesting (and adorable) as Myungsoo. "Well, you do owe me a coffee. I’ll accept barbecue instead, though."

"You’re not that much of a cheap date, are you," Myungsoo quipped.

"I also have embarrassing stories about Woohyun. I'd call that a fair trade."


	5. The Recon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started writing this chapter some time last month, I think, and it's not quite how I thought it would be. I was really enjoying writing the last part, but if I wrote any more I don't think I would've been able to find a good way to end it. Plus, I wanted to be done before the end of the month. This is shorter than the last couple of chapters and pretty much just a filler. Because I'm so disorganized, I finally got around to putting in some backstory and explaining some of their connections. There's also some ambiguous wooyeol and not-very-subtle myungyeol. The next chapter will be more exciting since they'll be stealing back the lunchbox. I've been planning that chapter in my head since I first thought of this story. Hopefully, it'll be as good as I imagined.

Although he hadn't been expected to follow in his father's footsteps, Sungyeol always knew his father had high aspirations for him. He wanted Sungyeol to have power and respect, be it in law, politics, medicine, or academics. Sungyeol had never felt well suited to any of those fields, though. He was curious by nature and it was that boundless curiosity that often got him into trouble. He was always full of questions, never satisfied with whatever answer an adult gave him. As he got older, he realized that the mold his father was trying to fit him into would never be big enough. He wanted more. More than a life of rules and customs and decorum. He didn't like silence and control.

It was no surprise that Sungyeol eventually rebelled. There were only so many times his father could tell him no before he decided he didn't want to listen. Meeting Woohyun hadn't helped things either. They were in the same boat (as Sungyeol would learn later on in their friendship). Their parents had plans and expectations for their futures and they both just wanted to make their own decisions. When he looked back now, Sungyeol could see how immature they had been. Slacking off in school or skipping it altogether and staying out later than he should weren't the smartest ways to request independence. But at the time, it had felt so freeing for Sungyeol to do whatever he wanted, to not follow his father's orders.

His father's lectures and his mother's disapproving looks weren't enough to deter him from trying to decide his own future for once in his life. Which is why he had only himself to blame when it all went to shit. Although Sungyeol had blamed Woohyun for everything, it wasn't like the other had forced him to do anything. Sungyeol chose to be friends with Woohyun. He chose to join in when Woohyun and his friends broke the rules and the law. He even chose to be punished alone when he'd only been following everyone else.

But even though Sungyeol had begrudgingly come to accept that Woohyun didn't deserve as much animosity as he'd been showing him, he wasn't quite willing to let his guard down around him. Woohyun always was and would always be a bad influence. The fact that he'd managed to convince Sungyeol to help him rob a house while the owner was still in it was proof enough. Unfortunately, Sungyeol's reluctance to rekindle their friendship wasn't a hindrance for Woohyun. As planning and preparations got underway, Woohyun found any excuse he could to have Sungyeol working with him. It wasn't entirely unpleasant, Sungyeol had to admit, but it made keeping his distance much harder. He didn't want to get sucked into Woohyun's world again.

 

Maybe it was because Woohyun went out of his way to include Sungyeol. Or maybe it was because the others were so friendly and welcoming—even Hoya once Sungyeol got past his brusque first impression. Either way, Sungyeol had started to feel like part of the team. Which wasn't what he'd hoped for or expected. He wasn't in it for friends or a new life. (He still wasn't sure why exactly he agreed to help Woohyun, honestly.) This was supposed to be a favor that Sungyeol would pretend never happened if anyone ever asked. But now there was Myungsoo. In the few days since they'd met, they'd grown close; close enough that Sungyeol started to second guess just walking away when the job was done.

It would be stupid of him to get even more involved in such shady business. He didn't doubt his father would go after him for stepping out of line again. The older man was good at separating his feelings from his morals, as Sungyeol knew from experience. He was already toeing the line; it was only a matter of time before his father would find out what Sungyeol had been up to.

But the devil on Sungyeol's shoulder (that sounded uncannily like Woohyun) told him the risk was worth it. He'd never followed his father's rules before and he shouldn't start now. He was too old to still have someone else running his life. And it wasn't like he was happy with the way he was currently living. Even he could admit that it was a bit sad and depressing (and lonely). So maybe it was worth the risk. Maybe he wouldn't mind getting on his father's bad side (not that he'd ever been on the good one) if it meant he'd have people like Myungsoo and Sungjong and Dongwoo to back him up.

  


⁞

  


[D-10]

 

"You know, this is why people think we used to date," Sungyeol sighed at the sight of Woohyun standing by the door of his apartment building. The younger man was just leaving for work—because aside from his paranoia about his father, he wasn't planning on quitting his day job to become a thief.

Woohyun fell into step beside Sungyeol as the other continued walking. His face was uncharacteristically serious. Figuring Woohyun would explain himself, Sungyeol chose not to press the issue. They got nearly halfway down the block before Woohyun finally spoke up. "I wanted to talk to you. About us."

"We talk all the time—well, _you_ talk. I don't think you even notice when I'm not paying attention." Sungyeol expected Woohyun to balk at the claim, maybe be annoyingly whiny because Sungyeol said he didn't listen to him, but all he got was silence. It threw him for a moment. He glanced at the man next to him uneasily. "Uh, are you feeling okay," Sungyeol asked. (He would never admit that he was honestly worried about Woohyun.)

"Do you still hate me?"

Sungyeol stopped in his tracks at the question. He wouldn't have expected the other to be so direct. During their school days Woohyun was always tactful about getting his way or the information he wanted. He seemed to have a knack for subtle persuasion. "Where's that coming from," Sungyeol mumbled just loud enough for the other to hear. He hadn't been as hostile to Woohyun as before (mostly thanks to Myungsoo's gentle coaxing) and he thought it showed. Apparently, he'd thought wrong.

Woohyun tugged on the sleeve of Sungyeol's jacket to pull him from the middle of the sidewalk. They ended up under the awning of a convenience store. Avoiding eye contact, Woohyun looked out towards the street. "I know I'm way too old to be concerned about something like this," he started slowly. He was obviously having trouble getting his words out, probably from embarrassment. "And usually I'm not. Usually I don't let it bother me, what someone else thinks of me. But I want us to be friends again. And I thought you forgave me, but whenever I try to get close to you it feels like your pushing me away."

Never in a million years did Sungyeol think he'd be talking to his ex-friend about their friendship and their _feelings_ , of all things. Hell, he never thought he'd have to see his face again. It was...unusual. But also not as far-fetched as he would've thought. "You do come on a bit strong," Sungyeol hedged as he snuck a look at Woohyun from the corner of his eye. "Not that that's a bad thing," he rushed to reassure Woohyun when the other dropped his head in guilt.

"No, I get it." Sungyeol didn't expect the dejected tone of Woohyun's voice to affect him like it did. He supposed he must still have some affection for the other man buried way down deep in his heart. He was never going to admit something like that, though. "I'm overstepping. Trying too hard. This is just business for you," Woohyun stated. It sounded like he'd given it a lot of thought and come up with his own conclusion.

Against his better judgement, Sungyeol reached out to rest a hand on Woohyun's shoulder. "It's not like that," he denied. Woohyun finally looked up at him in surprise. "I'm not just here to do you a favor." Sungyeol decided not to elaborate on that admission. Woohyun would find whatever meaning he wanted from it. "Maybe you could not try so hard," he suggested. "Don't try to force things. I liked being friends with you before, but it's not like we can go back to how we used to be."

Woohyun nodded in understanding, his mood clearly back up. "We can start over then. Take things slow."

Sungyeol groaned at the word choice. It was like Woohyun wanted everyone to get the wrong idea. "I'm starting to think you're doing this on purpose," he grumbled as he started walking again. He grimaced at the arm Woohyun threw over his shoulder, but didn't shrug it off.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Woohyun replied, the grin on his face saying the exact opposite. He leaned closer to Sungyeol, tilting his head up to reach the taller man's ear. "But just so you know, I'm totally boyfriend material."

  


⁞

  


[D-7]

 

Thanks to Sungyeol's personal encyclopedia—also known as Kim Myungsoo—he learned almost everything he could possibly want or need to know about the team he was kind of already a part of. Myungsoo filled him in on each member as well as the many jobs they'd carried out. He didn't seem wary of Sungyeol because of his father, which was a relief. Myungsoo seemed so excited to have made a new friend and Sungyeol was enjoying having something close to friends again—even if they were people who could get him arrested just by association.

From Myungsoo's oversharing, Sungyeol had learned that Sunggyu used to work for the government. Which part exactly was vague, but Myungsoo and Sungjong were sure it was something secretive like espionage. Sunggyu and Woohyun had met after the older man left his old job. The skills he'd acquired came in handy when he and Woohyun started their business.

Along the way, they picked up Dongwoo and Hoya who happened to have close ties with many of the gangs in the city. Hoya's father ran the biggest one (rivaled only by Lee Jungyeob—a man Sungyeol had only heard of in passing; everyone seemed to avoid elaborating about who he was) while Dongwoo's father was his right-hand man. That explained how Dongwoo and Hoya grew up together and their close relationship. Their gang connection was helpful in funding the team's expansion to bigger jobs as well as a larger base. The house they all met up in actually belonged to Hoya; a small favor from his father. While Hoya provided the means, Dongwoo had the easy task of being the driver. He got everyone where they needed to be and got them the hell out when they were done. On a side note, Myungsoo added that Dongwoo's other, unofficial job was being the team's charmer. He had a way with words and an even easier way with people. If ever a job called for someone to be sweet-talked, they always turned to Dongwoo.

When Woohyun approached Myungsoo to join the team, the younger man agreed only on the condition that Sungjong be included too. Woohyun had been reluctant at first; he was only looking for Myungsoo. But the two youngest had been quick to prove to Woohyun that having Sungjong on the team would benefit everyone. Simply put, Sungjong was a genius. (Which was no surprise to Sungyeol; from their first meeting, he knew Sungjong was in a class of his own.) He was like a walking calculator, though he never showed off—well, not that often. He was good with numbers and even better with computers. If any job called for a bit of spying or hacking, Sungjong knew a way. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they would've all wound up in prison if it wasn't for him.

After hearing about everyone and their roles on the team, Sungyeol didn't feel like his presence was necessary. They didn't really need him there no matter what Woohyun had said to sway his decision. The team was already complete which should've been a good thing considering Sungyeol was still on the fence about joining. It was just another reason why he should walk away when the job was over.

  


⁞

  


[D-4]

 

Sungjong looked from Sungyeol to Myungsoo before shaking his head. "I feel so bad for Woohyun," he sighed. The two men across from him gave him matching expressions of confusion. They'd been too busy play-fighting over the best way to grill pork belly; the insinuation went right over their heads.

"What's wrong with Woohyun?" The concern in Myungsoo's eyes was genuine as he set down his pair of tongs. There wasn't very much that could distract him from food.

Letting out another sigh, Sungjong drained his glass before reaching for the half-empty soju bottle. It was tough being the smartest person on the team sometimes. Myungsoo rested a hand on Sungjong's wrist just as he filled his glass up a third of the way. Reluctantly, Sungjong took the hint to go easy on his drinking. "Everything," he answered dryly. Sungyeol let out a snort from where he was focused on turning the meat. They'd long since bonded over their shared love of bad-mouthing Woohyun. "But why am I here anyway? I mean, as much as I love free food, being a third wheel on a date isn't quite as much fun as you'd think."

"Free food?" Sungyeol asked incredulously.

"A date," Myungsoo wondered at the same time.

For all Sungyeol's denying, Sungjong was positive the other was already a part of the team. It was just as exhausting dealing with him as it was with the others. "Well, you're both older than me," Sungjong replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "So that means you have to buy me dinner. Naturally."

Sungyeol scoffed, pausing his cooking. "Since when was that a thing?"

"Since always. Right, Myungsoo?"

His friend nodded with a fond smile on his face. He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. "I haven't seen him pay for a meal in five years." Sungjong looked especially proud of himself.

"And what happens if I don't want to pay for him," Sungyeol pushed. He wouldn't let an alleged child prodigy outsmart him.

"He uses his natural cuteness against you."

"Works every time," Sungjong spoke around the lettuce wrap he'd fixed for himself.

Sungyeol pointed his tongs at the man across from him. He had an eyebrow raised in disbelief. "'Natural cuteness'? Him?" Both Myungsoo and Sungjong nodded. " _You're_ cuter than him," he said, turning his head towards Myungsoo. The other man immediately looked down at his plate. Not even the dim restaurant lighting could hide his reddened cheeks.

"Of course you'd say that," Sungjong muttered mostly to himself. He should've dragged Hoya along; at least then he wouldn't feel like gagging every three seconds. "I'm cute when I want to be," he told Sungyeol. "You wouldn't stand a chance."

"It's true," Myungsoo agreed.

That was something Sungyeol would gladly pay to see, but unfortunately it would have to wait. As he opened his mouth to challenge Sungjong's claim, a tall shadow loomed over the table. All three men looked up in unison at the newcomer. A well-dressed young man stood behind the empty seat next to Sungjong. After a moment, Sungjong’s face lit up with recognition. "Hey, what are you doing here," he asked, rising from his seat. Myungsoo and Sungyeol watched in silence as the other two men shared a hug.

"I just came in with some friends."

"You should've told me you were free tonight. We have so much to catch up on."

As much as Sungyeol hated to interrupt the moment happening across from him, he felt like introductions were in order. He cleared his throat to get Sungjong's attention and gave him an innocent smile. "Who's your friend?"

To Sungyeol's surprise, Sungjong didn't seem fazed by his impatience. With a happy smile still on his face, he turned to the man next to him. "This is Kangjoon. You already know Myungsoo and that's Sungyeol. He's new," he said as if that explained everything about Sungyeol.

Kangjoon gave Myungsoo a small wave before setting his eyes on Sungyeol. "So, you're a new recruit, huh?"

"Something like that," Sungyeol shrugged.

"He claims it's temporary," Sungjong supplied for him. His smile looked more like a smirk to Sungyeol now. "You guys won't mind if I go catch up with Kangjoon, right?"

Myungsoo shook his head. "We'll be fine."

(Sungyeol couldn't help wondering if the way Sungjong beamed from Myungsoo's words was the "natural cuteness" they had mentioned earlier. He still thought Myungsoo was cuter.)


	6. The Heist (Pt. 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it's been over a year since I updated this. I was trying to finish this chapter before the one year mark, but the words weren't coming to me at the time. It's not quite how I had imagined it turning out; some things happened that I didn't plan on happening and some things didn't happen that I wanted to happen. Either way, I'm mostly satisfied with the final draft. I can't make any promises about when I'll update this again, but hopefully it doesn't take another year.

It had been a good three years since Sungyeol had any reason to wear a suit. The last time was for a cousin's wedding that his mother had guilted him into attending. He'd been uncomfortable the entire time; just waiting for the right opportunity to leave. This time was different in a few ways. For one, his suit was probably ten times better. He had Sungjong to thank for that. The youngest had taken it upon himself to style the "guest team" for the night. They were all dressed in tailored black and white tuxedos and if Sungyeol didn't know any better he'd think they were actually invited to Lee Soo Man's party.

Sungyeol stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at the ends of the bowtie in his hands. One thing that wasn't different after three years was that he still didn't know how to tie any kind of tie. He hadn't needed to before, but he really should've expected it. "It's just like tying your shoes, isn't it," he mumbled to himself as he slowly started twisting the bowtie around. He was caught off guard by a snicker from outside the open door. When he looked to the side, he found Myungsoo in the doorway.

"I would've never thought your weakness would be bowties," the younger man teased. He was leaning against the doorjamb, hands in his pants pockets and a dimpled grin on his face.

Giving up on the uncooperative piece of fabric, Sungyeol turned to face the other man fully. "It's not a weakness. It's just not a skill."

The dimple in Myungsoo's cheek deepened as his smile grew. He stepped further into the room and stopped in front of Sungyeol. "All you have to do is ask, you know. I won't even make fun of you. This time," he amended. At the small nod Sungyeol gave him in answer to the unasked question, Myungsoo moved closer until they were less than an arm's length apart.

Sungyeol watched in silence as the younger man expertly maneuvered the black cloth into the classic bowtie shape. Despite the simplicity of it all, he was still impressed. Myungsoo seemed to have many skills, most of them unexpected, and Sungyeol continually found himself uncovering a new one whenever they were together. He was starting to believe there was almost nothing Myungsoo couldn't do.

He was studying the focused look on Myungsoo's face when their eyes met. Sungyeol liked to think he was pretty observant, that not a lot got past him. But with his friend's face just inches away from him, he could only wonder how he'd never noticed just how deep Myungsoo's eyes were. They pulled him in until he found himself just a few breaths away from the other man. Or maybe Myungsoo was the one who moved closer. Either way, the distance had shortened and now they were waiting for the other person to make a move. Sungyeol was sure Myungsoo wanted him to lean in first. That seemed to be the nature of their friendship (relationship?); Sungyeol would lead and Myungsoo followed. Neither of them questioned it or tried to change it.

Taking a moment to observe the other's face, Sungyeol admired the softness of Myungsoo's features. His long eyelashes; fanned out and contrasting with the paleness of his eyelids. His skin that felt even smoother than Sungyeol had imagined when he held his cheeks in both hands. And his lips, pink and slightly parted, that looked too inviting to pass up. Myungsoo inhaled sharply as Sungyeol leaned closer. There was a blush coloring his cheeks that Sungyeol could feel against his palms. The moment felt right. All Sungyeol needed to do was lean down a few more inches to connect their lips. And from Myungsoo's expression he appeared to have the same thought. But somewhere between the deep breath Sungyeol took and the single inch he moved, there seemed to be a switch. Myungsoo's eyes widened like he was just realizing how close they were and the position they were in. His hands tightened on Sungyeol's tie, pulling it tighter. Sungyeol was stopped short as he ended up gasping for air. His hands flew up to loosen the knot at his throat.

Myungsoo quickly stepped back. The blush on his face had deepened and even spread to the tips of his ears. "I-I have to—Sungjong..." He mumbled to himself before hurrying out of the bathroom. Sungyeol thought he heard a few curse words.

The erratic beating of his heart could have been because of his brief lack of oxygen. Or it could've been from how close he'd been to Myungsoo. To kissing him. Sungyeol dropped down on the toilet seat as the realization finally hit him. He'd almost kissed Myungsoo. He'd _wanted_ to kiss Myungsoo. And Myungsoo... Sungyeol had no idea what the other man was thinking. His startled reaction couldn't have been a good sign. (Almost strangling the person you were about to kiss was never a good sign.) But knowing what little—well, maybe it was a lot—he did about Myungsoo, it wasn't that out of character. The younger man was much more awkward than his face suggested. Plus, he was surprisingly good at embarrassing himself.

Sungyeol's thoughts weren't bringing him any closer to figuring out what exactly had just happened or why. Myungsoo awkwardness didn't necessarily mean that he had feelings for Sungyeol. And it didn't mean that he didn't either. Letting out a deep sigh, Sungyeol passed a hand down his face. He would run his hands through his hair, but Sungjong would most definitely kill him if he did and Sungyeol wasn't ready to die just yet. Though that would save him the trouble of having to face Myungsoo after possibly being rejected. Death felt like a much better option.

 

Sungyeol knew exactly why Woohyun had pulled him aside as they were leaving for the party. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Woohyun hadn't been as subtle with his hints as he probably thought he'd been. He wanted Sungyeol to stay and had been trying to give him reasons to stick around.

"I guess there's no need to drag it out," Woohyun started off. He faced away from Sungyeol as he looked toward the driveway. The other guys were milling about next to the getaway car. "You should know by now that the guys all like you. They trust you. I trust you. We already think of you as part of the team. All that's left is to make it official."

There question was there even if the words hadn't come out of Woohyun's mouth. Did Sungyeol want to join the team? The short answer, if he were to be completely honest, would be yes. That was what he wanted. Friends and a job that didn't make him feel like the life was being sucked out of him. To work with people who seemed more like friends than accomplices. To be somewhere where he felt like his own person; where he couldn't feel his father's shadow looming over him. He liked feeling like he belonged. He liked the guys, too (maybe he liked Myungsoo a little bit more than the others) and he trusted them as well. But what he needed was to stay under his father's radar. Joining a criminal enterprise wasn't going to accomplish that. "I don't know," Sungyeol sighed. He wished the decision was simpler. That he didn't have to consider or worry or second-guess. "My father—"

"Isn't here right now," Woohyun pointed out. He finally turned to face Sungyeol. His face was serious but also concerned. "And he's not the one I'm asking. You're old enough to make your own decisions. You don't have to live your life according to him. I mean, I can’t tell you what to do either. Just… Do what makes you happy."

"Well, unlike you, robbing people isn't what makes me happy."

Woohyun cracked a small smile, to Sungyeol's relief. "You know what I mean."

Sungyeol smiled back as he finally relaxed. "Can I think about it," he asked. They both knew he'd had weeks to think. And they probably both knew what Sungyeol's final answer was going to be.

With a sigh, Woohyun nodded anyway. He slung an arm over Sungyeol's shoulders as he steered the two of them towards the rest of the team. "Just don't take too long."

 

Sungyeol fussed with the bow tie around his neck for the umpteenth time since Myungsoo had tied it for him. He was nervous being in such a high-class setting, but not for any of the reasons he should be. His father's many lectures and lessons about proper etiquette came back to him the moment he stepped foot in Lee Soo Man's house. He hadn't been the best student when it came to learning what he should and shouldn't do. He was always too much of a rebel. But now, oddly enough, he felt insecure after being somewhat thrust back into the life he'd walked away from years ago. It seemed obvious to him that he didn't fit in with the crowd and it felt like it was only a matter of time before everyone else realized it as well.

"Try to look like you want to be here," Howon whispered in Sungyeol's ear as he slipped a glass of champagne into his hand. He clinked his own drink against Sungyeol's before taking a big gulp.

Sungyeol followed suit a moment later, though he still wasn't too fond of the alcohol's slightly bitter aftertaste. They were supposed to be blending in, getting a feel of the house for the next phase of the plan. Sungyeol's mind had, admittedly, been elsewhere. Aside from the party conjuring up old memories, he also couldn't help replaying his almost-kiss with Myungsoo in his head. They were friends; and surprisingly close ones for the short amount of time they'd known each other. Before that night, Sungyeol hadn't once thought of Myungsoo in any other capacity. It was almost overwhelming how suddenly things had changed. And the jury was still out on how Myungsoo felt. Were they really on the same page? Would he have kissed Sungyeol back? Did he even want to kiss Sungyeol in the first place? Sungyeol was running himself in circles with questions he would never have the guts to ask the other man.

Hoya snapped his fingers in front of Sungyeol’s face, pulling him from his thoughts. "I get that you’re rusty, but can you try to focus on the job. Whatever it is you’re dealing with can wait." Despite his harsh words, he didn't look as irritated as Sungyeol would've expected.

"I am focused," Sungyeol lied.

With a scoff, Hoya tossed back the rest of his champagne. "Focused, my ass," he muttered as he set his empty glass on a platter held by a passing waiter and picked up a new one.

Sungyeol rolled his eyes. It was taking a long time for Hoya to grow on him like Sungjong had promised. Mostly because the other tended to run hot and cold; it was hard to tell what kind of mood he was in at any given time. (Sungyeol blamed his eyebrows.) Dongwoo was especially good at discerning his moods, though. Sungyeol hoped to learn that skill one day—if he decided to stay, of course.

"You're acting pretty cool for someone surrounded by rich and famous people," he said as a change of subject.

"It's not my first time." Hoya shrugged, looking around at the expensively dressed people surrounding them. "And I'd say there's more rich than famous here."

That was true. Rather than a slew of celebrities, the guest list seemed to be filled with local elites; small-time politicians and investors and CEOs. As big a name as Lee Soo Man was, Sungyeol would've expected more recognizable faces in the crowd. He was sure he had seen at least one actress, though. He probably couldn't list anything she'd been in, but he knew he'd seen her face before. As he swept his gaze across the room, his eyes landed on a very familiar face. It had been easy enough to pretend nothing happened between him and Myungsoo. Everyone was focused on the party; on the job. To Sungyeol’s relief, no one noticed the distance or silence between the two of them. He tried to be conspicuous while turning away, but Hoya seemed to be paying close attention to him.

"What was that," he asked with a raised eyebrow.

A blush crept up Sungyeol's cheeks despite his best efforts to play it cool. "What was what?" He hoped he didn't sound as guilty as he felt. As far as he could tell no one else knew about the incident in the bathroom. Which was good; Sungyeol could work with that. Maybe deflect any questions or flat-out lie. There was absolutely no need for him to tell the truth. Especially not now.

Hoya's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why don't I go case that side," he suggested, tipping his chin in the direction Sungyeol had just turned away from.

Sungyeol shrugged. His knee-jerk reaction was to stop Hoya from going anywhere near Myungsoo, but his logical side reminded him that if Myungsoo hadn't said anything yet, he probably wasn't going to in the future. Although it was more embarrassing for Sungyeol, Myungsoo must've had reasons for keeping it quiet. Sungyeol pointed in the opposite direction. "And I'll just, um, be on this side."

The slight arch of one of Hoya's eyebrows clearly meant to say he wasn't buying it. He could tell Sungyeol was lying—or, at least, not being necessarily truthful. Thankfully, though, he kept his suspicions to himself. He only raised his champagne flute in lieu of a goodbye and walked away.

Sungyeol waited all of five seconds before turning to watch Hoya's inevitable run-in with Myungsoo. He sipped his champagne as he tried to convince himself that there was nothing to be nervous about.

Myungsoo looked much more relaxed than the last time Sungyeol had looked at him. He smiled at Hoya as the other laid an arm across his shoulders. They exchanged words Sungyeol couldn’t make out that had Myungsoo hiding his laughter with his hand. Despite his burning curiosity, Sungyeol wasn't quite ready to face Myungsoo, to actually talk to him; even if it wasn't what they needed to talk about. He should just act like nothing happened for the rest of the job. Myungsoo seemed to be doing that. The conversation appeared to turn serious. Myungsoo shook his head at a question from Hoya. Sungyeol's gut told him it was probably about him. Considering Hoya had only approached Myungsoo because of him, it was expected. And it wasn't like anything happened, so, really, Sungyeol had no reason to worry. Hoya wasn't going to get anything more from Myungsoo than he'd gotten from Sungyeol. Taking a sip from his glass, Sungyeol watched the two men talk for another minute. As he'd predicted (and hoped), Myungsoo wasn't giving anything up.

"Who're you smiling at?"

Startled, Sungyeol's hand flew up to touch his cheek. If a smile had been there, it was definitely gone now. Why would he even be smiling in the first place? Because of Myungsoo? There was a deep frown on his face when he turned to glare at Woohyun. The other man was dressed like the rest of the wait staff and holding a tray of hors d'oeuvres. If wasn't for where they were and why, Sungyeol would've knocked the tray out of the other man's hands.

"Pig-in-blanket," Woohyun offered, unaffected by Sungyeol's stare. He held the tray closer to the other's face.

Sungyeol rolled his eyes, but still took an appetizer. He wasn't one to turn down free food. He pretended not to notice the big smile on Woohyun's face.

"You didn't answer the question."

"Because I wasn't smiling," Sungyeol replied coolly. He looked away from Woohyun, making sure to avoid looking towards Myungsoo and Hoya. It was bad enough that his mind kept replaying that awkward moment in the bathroom; he didn't need Woohyun making it worse by just knowing about it.

Woohyun snorted and gave Sungyeol a small nudge. "Is this what we're doing now? We all have eyes, you know." His voice was soft, like he was trying not to upset Sungyeol.

It would seem Sungyeol had underestimated the rest of the team. He'd thought the distance between Myungsoo and him wasn't noticeable. It wasn't like they were attached at the hip normally; them not interacting hadn't seemed like a big deal. Obviously Sungyeol was wrong. The others were quicker than he'd given them credit for. With a sigh, Sungyeol turned back to Woohyun. "Can we not get into this right now," he pleaded. Just because he didn't have to lie didn't mean he wanted to tell the truth. It wasn't the time or place for it and, honestly, Sungyeol wasn't entirely sure of his feelings. Plus, it would’ve made more sense if he had that conversation with Myungsoo first.

For the second time that night Woohyun nodded in understanding. Beneath his loud, sometimes overbearing personality, he was actually a thoughtful friend who showed genuine concern and would do anything for the people he cared about. Those were characteristics Sungyeol hadn't gotten to see when they were younger. Or maybe Woohyun hadn't acquired them just yet. Either way, Sungyeol was grateful for them now as Woohyun finally dropped the subject. "You should try to sneak a couple of these out with you," the faux-waiter suggested airily. He held the tray closer to Sungyeol again. "I mean, they're pretty much just fancy hot dogs, but they're expensive fancy hot dogs."

Sungyeol smiled slightly, finally relaxing for what felt like the first time that night. There was still a lot to worry about, but he would focus on them when the time came. Those problems would still be there after the job was done. He helped himself to another pig-in-a-blanket and went back to surveying the room like he was attempting to do before Woohyun showed up. "I would, but Sungjong will kill me if I get even a molecule of oil on this suit. And then he'd kill you with my dead body for letting it happen." It was as much a joke as it was a fact; Sungjong could be very scary. But Sungyeol would never tell him to his face. He was about to suggest ways they could sneak food when an all-too-familiar face caught his attention. Having already finished his hors d'oeuvre, there was nothing for him to choke on—except, maybe, the air or his own tongue. For all his talk of not fearing his father, the sight of him, impeccably dressed and a rare smile on his face, was enough to make every hair on Sungyeol's body stand up. He turned away from the older man immediately. All thoughts of joking were replaced with silent prayers that his father hadn't noticed him. There was no way they would be able to finish the job if he got caught.

Confused, Woohyun turned with him. "What? What is it? You look like you saw a ghost."

"Please tell me you knew my father was going to be here." Sungyeol didn't dare turn around. There was a small part of him that hoped he was hallucinating. (He'd only had a glass and a half of champagne, but alcohol had to be the only explanation for him seeing the last person he wanted to see.) Sungyeol didn't want that hoped dashed by turning around and seeing that his father really was there.

Unsurprisingly, Woohyun looked back over his shoulder. "Shit," he breathed out once his eyes fell on the prosecutor. He took Sungyeol's half-empty glass and downed the rest in one fluid motion. "I swear I had no idea. I didn't see his name on the guest list, so he must be someone's plus one. Or he changed his mind at the last minute." From the expression on his face, it seemed like Woohyun was more distressed about the situation than Sungyeol. He was looking straight ahead, though probably not really seeing anything; most likely coming up with a plan. It took almost a full minute before Woohyun spoke. "Okay, here's what we're gonna do." Holding the appetizer tray high up like the rest of the wait staff, he handed Sungyeol back the empty champagne flute and steered the taller man ahead of him. "You're gonna go outside with Sungjong. He'll give you a rundown of Phase Two."

They made their way slowly across the crowded ballroom. Sungyeol was tempted to check behind them to see if they'd been noticed. But he already felt like enough of a sore thumb because of his height, looking back would be a bad idea. "What about you?" As far as Sungyeol could remember, his father had never formally met Woohyun, but that didn't mean he didn't know his face. The man had the means and the connections to know everything about Sungyeol. "Do you think he'll recognize you, too?"

Woohyun made a humming sound like he was thinking. "I don't think he knows my face," he replied, "or any of our faces, actually. We wouldn't be doing things right if he does. Either way I'll take my chances. You're the critical one here; if he sees you it's all over."

There was no malice or resentment in his voice and yet Sungyeol still felt guilty. His father showing up so suddenly somehow felt like his fault. That was kind of the way it's always been. Being related to a prosecutor—to someone like his father—has always affected every aspect of his life. And rarely in a positive way. Perhaps if he'd been more obedient or conforming maybe it wouldn't have made as much of a difference. He'd be happy with the path his father had laid out for him. As it was, he and his father wanted different things out of him and out of life. And their relationship suffered from it. Maybe one day they would reconcile, and they could just have a simple conversation with each other. But that day was a long way off. For now, Sungyeol would just try to shake his lingering guilt and doubt.


End file.
